University of Arkansas
WLIT 2323; Spring, 2001
GREEK AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY
D. B. Levine
MYTHOLOGY ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS
Essay #1: Zeus
(for tips on essay assignment, see the PAPERTIPS PAGE of this site.)
Zeus is acknowledged as the ruler of Olympus and master of the Universe in Greek
thought. He is the main topic of discussion in Aeschylus' tragedy Prometheus Bound,
though he does not appear as a character in that play. Although there are long Homeric
Hymns to other gods, the Hymn to Zeus is only 4 lines long (Athanassakis):
I shall sing of Zeus, the best and greatest of gods,
far-seeing, mighty, fulfiller of designs who confides
his tight-knit schemes to Themis as she sits leaning upon him.
Have mercy, far seeing Kronides, most glorious and great!
The Zeus of the Prometheus Bound is a tyrant and autocrat. In this essay, students will compare the portrait of Zeus in Aeschylus' tragedy to three other works which portray him. Students will choose among the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, Hesiod's Theogony, Hesiod's Works and Days, and Apollonius' Argonautica.
Essays will contain the following:
1) A summary of how Zeus is portrayed in Prometheus Bound (with at least four specific references to the text);
2) Summaries of how Zeus is portrayed in three of the works given above (with at least three specific references to the text of each);
3) Discussion of how important Zeus is in each of these works;
4) Discussion of how consistently ancient authors portray Zeus in these works (i.e. Is he always the same in personality and role?);
5) Discussion of how individual authors vary the portrait of Zeus for their own literary, religious, dramatic, or cultural purposes. (i.e. What motivation do they have for showing Zeus as they do?);
6) A title of your choosing, reflecting what you have found;
7) A bibliography of the works you consulted, including title, author, date, place of publication.
8) Cite texts by line numbers or page numbers, if line numbers do not appear in the text.
Essays will be no longer than ten pages (excluding bibliography), double-spaced, with 12 point type, one-inch margins. Please do not put your paper into any plastic or cardboard binding.
Schedule: Essay #1
Outlines of papers -- including the line numbers of the specific passages you plan to discuss in each work -- are due on Wed. Feb. 21. If an outline is turned in late, the grade of the essay itself will be lowered by five points for each day the outline is late. The essay is due on Wed. March 07. LATE ESSAYS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
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Essay #2: Art and Myth
The Greeks passed on their stories of gods and heroes through oral poetry, written texts,
and art. This essay will be an exploration of the physical representations of a story,
character, or theme of Classical Myth in ancient art.
Procedure: Essay #2
1) Choose a character or scene from classical mythology which you wish to explore in art.
2) Find three different artistic representations of your topic, in at least two different media (sculpture, coins, reliefs, vase-painting, etc.);
3) Describe each artistic work in terms of medium, scene description, myth, date, place of origin, size, and function;
4) Describe the myth or character which each portrays;
5) Tell how each artist chose to portray the myth. That is: What does the artist choose to emphasize, and what effect does this produce?
6) What similarities do you find among the representations?
7) What differences do you find among the representations?
8) How (if at all) do the representations correspond to any of the works we have read in this class? How do they differ? Make an attempt to relate the art to the literature.
9) Include a bibliography of all sources you consult, including author, title, place and date of publication, web site addresses and date of visit.
10. Include legible hard copies of the works you discuss (photocopied, scanned, or downloaded and printed);
11) Include an appropriate title for your essay, based on what you have found in your research.
o [Optional Extra credit (five possible percentage points): Include a work of art from the
Renaissance or later that shows the same topic, and discuss it in comparison to the ancient
art works and ancient literature.]
Essays will be no longer than ten pages (excluding illustrations and bibliography),
double-spaced, with 12 point type, one-inch margins. Please do not put your paper into any
plastic or cardboard binding.
Some Possible Sources: Essay #2
1) The University of Arkansas Fine Arts Library contains numerous books containing Greek sculpture and vase paintings.
2) Mullins Library's Reference Collection contains the Lexicon Iconographicum
Mythologiae Classicae, which is a multi-volume work organized alphabetically by names of classical gods and heroes, with a dazzling array of pictures depicting many aspects of each myth in Greek and Roman art in many media, with explanations in several European languages. Call number: N7760 .L49 1981 v.1 pt.1, etc.
3) The on-line Perseus Digital Library contains a searchable collection of hundreds of representations of gods and heroes from classical art: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/browser. It is a cornucopia of images. Perseus CD-ROMs are also available for consultation on campus.
Schedule: Essay #2
Monday, April 16.
Outlines due, to include the theme/character you have chosen, the three works you have chosen, and your preliminary ideas and ancient sources which relate to your chosen art works. Late outlines will result in the completed essay grade being lowered by 5 points per day the outline is late.
Wednesday, May 02.
Essay #2 Due. LATE ESSAYS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
VERBUM SAPIENTIBUS:
Essays which contain material downloaded from the web without quotation marks and attribution will receive the grade of "F". Essays that copy secondary works without quotation marks and attribution will receive the grade of "F". Plagiarism means copying the work of another and passing it off as your own. It is bad. Do not do it.